This was a delightful surprise. Years ago, we saw Nomadic Massive at the Regina Folk Festival. I knew nothing at all about them but they wound up stealing the show that night and you could make a solid case that they were the best of that year's whole festival. That was in 2013; as far as I know, this show was their first time back here. I didn't rush to get tickets - lots of concerts and lots of expenses left me thinking that I'd wait and see how I felt on the day. However, fate had other plans. The Prairie Dog had a pair of tickets to give away in a Facebook contest. They asked for comments on their post, so I posted "This is a comment." A day later, they PM'd me to let me know I'd won. I looked back at the contest, and saw that I was the only entrant. So thank you to Prairie Dog, and thank you especially to the Facebook algorithm that decided that I was the only person who needed to see that post.
When the day came, I really didn't feel like going. It's cold and icy here, and I was sleepy even though I'd had the day off and didn't do anything more strenuous than grocery shopping and getting a flu shot. As I dozed in front of the TV, I could easily have been talked out of going. But off we went.
We got to the Exchange and once seated, I got us some drinks, popcorn, and 50/50 tickets (didn't win). May as well contribute a little since we got in for free. The popcorn was tasty but I question its proclaimed status as the world's best.
The band hit the stage noting that though the crowd was small, we'd get rowdy. There were, unfortunately, not a ton of people there. Maybe 50 when the show started and not quite 100 at the peak, if I'm guessing. It's a real shame; if people don't come out, the bands won't come back (said the guy who didn't pay to be there). That said, it did seem like the people who were there were determined to make up the difference, with lots of people leaving their seats to go dance at the front of the stage. Some good participation - crowds at Folk Festival-promoted shows (or just shows here in general) sometimes tend to be on the reserved side.
I'm not very familiar with Nomadic Massive so if you want to know what they played, I'm not your guy. I recognized one song and it wasn't even their own - there was a bit of The Choice is Yours by Black Sheep (which I very much appreciated - that album was one of my Grade 10 favourites). They also did part of Alright by Kendrick Lamar but I wouldn't even have picked up on that if Mika hadn't told me. You don't read these for informed opinions.
I'll keep this one short since I have a big ol' review backlog again and because I don't know a thing about things anyway, but this was one of the best shows I've seen this year. Mika went one better, naming it her favourite this year. On the drive home, we talked about how neither of us really felt like spending the night out, but we both had a great time and were feeling energized when it was done. Apparently it was just what we needed.
I note, with some amusement, that my Apple Watch didn't consider the half-hour I spent shoveling snow earlier in the day to be exercise. It did, however, give me credit for butt-dancing in my chair at this show. This is either a testament to how much I enjoyed myself or the inherent unreliability of fitness trackers. I suppose it can be two things.
I note, with some amusement, that my Apple Watch didn't consider the half-hour I spent shoveling snow earlier in the day to be exercise. It did, however, give me credit for butt-dancing in my chair at this show. This is either a testament to how much I enjoyed myself or the inherent unreliability of fitness trackers. I suppose it can be two things.
Now that you are armed with information, you can butt dance while shoveling snow, right?
iTunes Top Downloads -- July 23, 2017 This is a moment in time snapshot of the current top downloads from iTunes. We take a snapshot each week at the same time and post it here. To preview the songs, click on a link.